Appeals Court Halts Judge's Contempt Inquiry into Trump Administration's Deportation Flights
A divided U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has ruled that Chief U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg must cease his inquiry into potential criminal contempt by Trump administration officials. The inquiry was related to the administration's disregard of court orders to stop deportation flights of Venezuelan migrants to a prison in El Salvador. The court's decision, made by a 2-1 vote, marks the second time it has intervened to halt Boasberg's contempt proceedings. The case centers on the Trump administration's rapid deportation actions, which federal judges have criticized for violating migrants' rights to challenge their removals. The appeals panel, led by Judge Neomi Rao, argued that Boasberg overstepped his jurisdiction and that any prosecution of contempt charges would be futile. 
